News
FGM perpetrators devise new methods
The Director at the Department of Gender in the Upper West Region, Mrs Charity Banye has hinted that perpetrators of the heinous Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have devised subtle ways of plying their profession on innocent babies without necessarily resorting to physical cut.
She explained that due to increased sensitisation against the practice, these perpetrators had silently introduced a process called “Hot Press” to get rid of the clitorises of new born babies even before they developed into adults.
“With this hot press, the person in charge applies shea butter to a hot object and massages the clitoris with the object regularly until it finally diminishes or disappears with time”, she explained.
Mrs Banye was speaking at Wa on Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting to consolidate efforts aimed at ending FGM. The meeting which was at the instance of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was part of activities to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance against FGM on the theme “Accelerating Investment to end Female Genital Mutilation”.
Mrs Banye explained that FGM was the partial or total removal of the clitoris from the genitals of a female mostly for cultural reasons aimed at purportedly making the girl chaste.
She said that due to increased education on the legal consequences of the act, perpetrators had shifted away from cutting the organ to using hot substances and said it behoved on stakeholders to also devise more strategic ways of dealing with the menace.
“The figures are looking gloomy globally because it has been estimated that about four million girls could suffer FGM annually and so it leaves much to be desired especially when we consider the quantum of effort we have devoted to fighting the menace in time past”, she lamented.
She explained that although the idea behind the practice was to make women chaste, it was interesting to note also that the same practice was making more men morally unsound as most men married to victims of FGM with low sexual libido, cheated on their wives.
The Regional Commander at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit, DVVSU, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Adoingo Apiiya, also called for collaboration between the Ghana Health Service and the police to identify and arrest perpetrators of FGM.
“When a girl-child is brought to the health centre, the medical staff can help check whether the child had undergone FGM or not so that the parents of such child can immediately be picked up for questioning”, he said.
He believed such stringent measures would help end the menace which was considered constitutionally and globally a human rights violation.
The Programme Specialist/Head with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) decentralised office at Tamale in the Northern Region, Alhaji Mammah Tenii appealed to the stakeholders to join hands and help end FGM in Ghana.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Ahyiresu and Abofrem, two quiet communities in the Atwima Mponua District, have been shaken to the core by a chilling midnight drama that reads like a nightmare.
A pastor and a young mother stand accused of attempting to bury a five‑month‑old baby girl alive, a crime that has ignited outrage and disbelief across the township.
According to police, Apostle Richmond Akwasi Frimpong, 36, Head Pastor of the Anointed Grace Prayer Ministry at Kuffour Camp, conspired with his uncle Emmanuel Appiah, 53, and the child’s mother, 23‑year‑old Beatrice Agyapomaa, to dispose of the infant, Anaya Achiaa, under the cover of darkness.
A fourth suspect, Emmanuel Donkor, remains on the run.
The suspects were caught near a refuse dump around 10 pm on April 9, 2026, after a vigilant resident, Akwasi Twezor, noticed their suspicious movements.
When confronted, they claimed the child was already dead and had palace approval for burial. But Twezor’s instincts proved right—the baby was still alive, gasping faintly for breath.
Chief Linguist, Nana Yaw Badu, later confirmed that Frimpong had misled him earlier in the evening, securing permission for burial by falsely declaring the child dead.
The infant was rushed to the Abofrem Clinic, where she is now responding well to treatment. Police described her as “very beautiful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evelyn Yitamkey, Commander of DOVVSU in Bibiani, confirmed that the suspects have been provisionally charged.
Frimpong faces attempted murder and conspiracy charges, while Agyapomaa and Appiah are charged with conspiracy and abetment.
They were remanded by the Bibiani Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Frank Asiedu Nimako, to assist investigations.
The docket has been forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department for advice, ASP Yitamkey indicated.
The attempted crime has provoked fury among residents, many suspecting ritual motives aimed at bolstering the pastor’s influence.
Crowds attempted to attack the suspects outside court, but police intervention prevented mob justice.
The Assembly Member for Ahyiresu, Yusuf Suleiman, has assured residents that justice will be pursued swiftly.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
The forecourt of the African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) in Accra came alive on Friday with colour, creativity and innovation, as Level 300 students transformed the space into a lively exhibition of ideas.
Under the theme “Building meaningful brands beyond the logo,” the students invited patrons into a world where ordinary products were reimagined through storytelling, design and purpose.
From scented candles to innovative food concepts, each stand told a unique story, one that went beyond aesthetics to capture identity, value and human connection.
For many of the students, the event was more than just an academic exercise; it was a moment to dream out loud.
Guided by their lecturer, Peter Wonders, they explored what it truly means to build a brand in today’s competitive world where trust, consistency and experience matter just as much as logos and slogans.
Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kum Gyata VI, in his remarks said a brand is what people say about you when you are not present.
At the end of the presentations, awards were presented to deserving groups with Vida Nyaneba emerging as the overall best branding student.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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